Design, fabrication, and testing of heat conduction apparatuses at a low cost

Abstract

This article presents the design, fabrication, and testing of three heat conduction apparatuses needed for engineering students. These devices are the axial heat transfer apparatus (AHTA), radial heat transfer apparatus (RHTA), and fin heat transfer apparatus (FHTA). These three devices allow students to undertake experiments in conduction heat transfer. The laboratory staff, with the help of third- and fourth-year classes, took this effective step to carry out experiments related to the heat transfer course. The use of surplus materials and locally available low-cost new instruments make them suitable for performing successful laboratory experiments at an affordable cost. The total cost of the three devices is 750 US$. Currently, the devices are in service and show excellent performance. The devices and experiments demonstrated in this work are simple and easy to create. Their design and fabrication are based on tools that are readily available in an engineering department. The experiments achieve important aspects in the study of heat transfer, which enhances students’ understanding of the conduction mechanism in solids.

Demonstrating the Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability Using a Low-Cost Experimental Apparatus and Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulations

“…The overall variety of experiments has been limited by the high cost of commercial teaching equipment. We were inspired by several studies that focused on the design and fabrication of low-cost hardware that can be used in thermal-fluid laboratory experiments, as an alternative to purchasing expensive educational equipment [8][9][10][11]. Low-cost custom equipment has been used to demonstrate a wide variety of concepts including heat conduction (axial, radial, and fin) [10], compressible flow [8], and vapor compression refrigeration cycles [11].…”

“…We were inspired by several studies that focused on the design and fabrication of low-cost hardware that can be used in thermal-fluid laboratory experiments, as an alternative to purchasing expensive educational equipment [8][9][10][11]. Low-cost custom equipment has been used to demonstrate a wide variety of concepts including heat conduction (axial, radial, and fin) [10], compressible flow [8], and vapor compression refrigeration cycles [11]. Particle image velocimetry has been used to visually represent stagnation flow around a flat plate, which allowed students to quantitatively analyze video data and compare the experimental results to predicted velocity fields using potential flow theory [9].…”